Ann: A Love Story Ch. 41

When I'd carried that first carton into the post office on my initial trip, and placed it on the counter in front of him, Alfred looked at the mailing label. Looking up at me, a broad grin crossed his face.

"You must be Neil," he said, sticking out his hand.

I was stunned, but stuck out my hand, shaking his as I said, "Yes, Neil Thomas."

"I'm Alfred Davidson. It's great to finally meet you, Neil."

"Uh...thanks, Mr. Davidson. Nice to meet you too."

"You can call me Alfred, Neil. I have to tell you, son...you are one lucky young man. That fiancée of yours is one incredible young woman."

"Thanks," I said, not really sure what else to say. The whole thing caught me off guard a little.

Alfred realized that, and he tried to put me at ease. "I'm sorry son. I'm sure I freaked you out a little there."

I laughed at his phrasing and said, "No...it's okay. You're right, I am lucky. Ann is an amazing woman."

Alfred smiled and said, "That she is. I've come to think of her as a daughter. Probably since she's the daughter of a mailman," he said with a hearty laugh. "She has such a wonderful, sunny outlook on life. And it's only gotten brighter since she found you, Neil. I'm so happy for the both of you."

"Wow...thank you, Alfred. That's kind of you to say."

"So, how many are we mailing today?" he asked.

"I'm not really sure. I've got a car full, but she and Dana are busy packing the rest of her things up. I'm guessing I have a quite a few more trips to make. It's going to take me a while."

"Here...let me give you something to help you," he said. Alfred walked towards the back, and the next thing I knew, the door was opening and he rolled out the hand cart. "You can use this...ought to make the job a little easier."

I smiled and thanked him, and went out to get the rest of the cartons from Ann's car. I was able to make just three trips back and forth instead of the eleven it was going to take...and that was just my first trip to the post office. The cart was literally going to save me an hour or more.

When I trucked in the last of my first load, Alfred was busy filling out some paperwork. "Are all of these going to Marlin and Jean's house?"

"Wow...you make it sound like you know them."

"I do. Met them a couple of times when they came out to visit Ann a couple of years ago. Wonderful people."

"Yeah...I kind of lucked out in the 'In Law' department this time around. All the stuff's going to their place today. How much do I owe you?"

"You know, why don't we wait until you bring everything and we can do that part all at once."

"Gee...okay. That sounds great. I'll be back a little later...and thanks again for the hand cart."

~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time I got Ann's car loaded with the last of the cartons she and Dana had packed, it had been almost two hours since I'd seen them. I'd picked up the note after finding the house locked, and even though they'd finished their part of the 'chores' that needed done, I still had to finish mailing them.

They had worked their butts off after I found them playing in the back yard...packing up stuff faster than I could load and deliver across town. I had to make three more trips after returning to find the house empty...at least of naked women. It certainly hadn't been empty of cartons to take to the Post Office.

I had the address memorized that Ann had written on the note, and I kept looking for the name of the right cross street that would hopefully lead me to where they'd gone shopping so I could meet up with them. But I never found the road she'd listed on the address, which meant I was going to have to explore a little to find out where she and Dana had gone. I knew I'd find it eventually...but not having the name of the place, or even the mall or shopping center where they had headed, was going to make the whole thing take longer. And yet I was the one that had insinuated time after time that I knew the town, so I had only myself to blame.

Setting the cart down, I lifted the final three cartons on up onto the counter. "That's the last of them, Alfred."

"You've had a busy day," he said with a laugh.

I thought about how my day had started, and the fun I'd had with both Ann and Dana. "You have no idea," I said with a grin.

"You got them to me just under the wire," he said, nodding toward the clock on the wall that was just about to click to 5 o'clock, when the lobby would be closing.

Alfred and I made small talk while he got the packages weighed and stamped, putting them in a huge canvas cart behind him. I wondered how many of those were filled in the back with just the stuff Ann was mailing back to her parents' house. Alfred totaled up the items on an old adding machine, and then he handed me some paperwork. "Here's the routing information, just in case," he said with a smile.

I reached for my wallet and said, "What's the damage, Alfred?"

"Actually, it's free," he said with a straight face.

"Pardon me?" I replied, thinking I hadn't heard him clearly.

"There's no damage, Neil. Put away your wallet."

"I don't understand," I said, my fingers on my credit card, ready to pull it out.

Alfred took a deep breath, and his upper body shuddered a little bit. I could tell he was suddenly emotional, and he said, "I meant what I said earlier. Ann has been a breath of fresh air in this old man's life. She reminds me so much of Sarah."

"Sarah?" I asked, suddenly wondering if I should have.

"Sarah is my daughter. My wife Billie and I lost her almost four years ago...to leukemia. Ann is just like her."

"Wow, Alfred...I'm so sorry for your loss."

"It's okay Neil. And we have Ann to thank for that. She helped us both...in ways you can't imagine." I stared at him, knowing without knowing. I didn't need to know the details to know that Ann had somehow helped them not only come to grips with what happened to Sarah, but she'd also found a way to help fill the gaping hole she'd left behind in their lives. It was just part of who Ann was, and the impact she had on people. I offered that knowing smile, and Alfred said, "She's very special, Neil."

"Just like Sarah was, I'm sure."

He smiled and nodded. "Anyway...I talked it over with Billie, and this is on us. It's our wedding gift to the two of you."

"Alfred, really..."

"Not another word, Neil. We wouldn't have it any other way." I knew enough not to argue. Alfred was just like Marlin, and my dad. His mind was set, and there was no changing it. It would have insulted him to try. I let the subject die by thanking him for the gesture.

Alfred came out from behind the counter through the doorway to get the cart he'd let me borrow. And when he stepped through that door, I had an overwhelming feeling come over me; one that I couldn't explain, or really even rationalize. But when I looked into Alfred's soft gray eyes, I felt compelled to say what was suddenly on my mind.

"Alfred, can I ask you a question, if you don't mind."

"Sure Neil...what is it?"

I took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Davidson, I was wondering, if it's all right with you and Mrs. Davidson, I'd like to have Ann's hand in marriage?"

I'm not sure why I did it. I had asked Ann to marry me in the middle of the night. Hell, I never actually asked Marlin for his own daughter's hand, although for some reason, I had a feeling he knew all along I was going to ask her. But for Alfred, I felt like I was asking on behalf of Sarah, who never got the chance to be asked to become someone's wife. At least, I didn't think so. I didn't know for sure. Regardless, it just seemed like something I needed to do in the rush of the moment.

Alfred looked at me, stunned in silence. A small tear formed in the corner of his right eye, which was followed by an amazing smile. He reached out his hand and said, "Neil, you have our blessings."

I ignored the handshake, and opened my arms, hugging Alfred. Pulling back, I patted him on the shoulder and said, "That's how we do it in the Midwest."

"I know son...I'd just forgotten. I can't tell you how much that just meant to me."

"The hug? Ah...it was nothing," I said with a grin.

"You know what I mean. It's just the kind of thing Ann would do...the kind of thing she's done since she walked into our lives. Now I know why she loves you so much. I don't know how to thank you for that gesture, Neil."

"Now you know how I feel," I said, thanking him for the wedding gift. "Does Ann have your address?"

"Yes...why?"

"To invite you and Billie to the wedding...it wouldn't be right to ask you for her hand and not invite you to the wedding," I chuckled.

Alfred and I said our goodbyes, and I turned to head toward the door. I glanced at my watch, and knew I needed to get going. I had no idea how long it would take me to find out where Ann and Dana had gone off to. And as I looked at the time, I didn't want to wait. I was convinced I could have found it on my own, but at that moment, it was more important to me to find them quickly.

I dug into my pocket and pulled out the note, looking it over. Glancing back over my shoulder, I saw Alfred back in his place behind the counter, waiting to wait on the next customer that wasn't there; at his post dutifully with a minute left in his day. In all the trips I had made to the Post Office, five in all, I only saw two or three other customers the entire day. But he was waiting there, on guard, just in case.

Alfred saw me looking at him, and a puzzled expression appeared on his face as I started walking back to the counter. "Forget something?" he asked.

"No. But I could use some help. Can you tell me where this street is? Ann and Dana are there shopping, and I'm supposed to meet up with them."

Alfred took the note from my hand and read the address. He looked up at me, and then looked back at the note again like he was making sure he was reading it right. That was followed by a very interesting smile, which was followed by laughter.

"It looks like Ann is shopping for the honeymoon," he said with a high pitched giggle.

"What?"

"The address she wrote down is for a place called The Leather Door. It's an upscale...adult store, just north of town." Alfred turned the note over and took out a pen, drawing a quick map of how to get there.

"Are you sure?" I said, knowing I was starting to turn red.

"Ha ha...very. It used to be on my delivery route before I moved inside to the counter a couple of years ago. I stopped there every single day I worked that route, almost 8 years. It was one of the highlights of my day," he said with a laugh.

I could feel myself blushing more, and Alfred patted me on the back of my hand, which was resting on the counter. "Don't be embarrassed, Neil."

"I just don't want you thinking about Ann..."

"Son, it's no surprise to me. I know Ann's gone there before, many times. Hell, I'd like to think that if Sarah were still alive, she'd be going there with her just like her friend Dana. It's not one of those seedy places you think about when you think 'Adult book store'. Like I said, it's a pretty classy place. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Of course. I'm sure it's just the kind of place you'd take your mother," I said sarcastically.

"Well, I don't know about my mother...but I have taken Billie," he said, winking at me.

My head made a quick little shake, trying to grasp the thought of what he'd just said. That made Alfred laugh out loud again, which made me laugh. He patted me on the shoulder and handed me the note. "It's easy to find. Just follow the directions."

"Okay," I said, shaking his hand.

As I walked to the door, Alfred called out to me, saying, "Hey Neil?"

"Yes?" I said, turning toward him.

"Say hi to Missy for me."

"Missy?" I said, suddenly puzzled by his not only knowing her, but wanting me to say hello.

"She's a friend of Billie and me...and of Ann's...but I'm sure you already knew that. You'll know her when you see her," he said, giving me a wave, followed by a big, bellowing laugh.